Dana Hangle

Year of birth: 1966
Where do you live: Lillooet, British Columbia, Canada
Your education: University of Manitoba, Bachelor of Education
Describe your art in three words: Nature-Based, Surreal
Your discipline: Photography, Multimedia
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Dana Hangle, Cleanse

Can you tell us more about your journey from teaching high school English to becoming an artist? What inspired you to start creating?

As a very young person, I became exposed to poetry and art through the books my mother had at home which included Leonard Cohen and Aubrey Beardsley. I majored in English in university and began my teaching career in 1993. I became sick in 2013 with a rare brain condition. In 2017, I had brain surgery and wasn’t able to teach anymore.  Besides occupational, speech and language, and physio therapies, I also went through counselling. It has been quite the process to examine and cope with the “new” me. Art has given me a sense of purpose and is also very therapeutic.

How has your brain injury influenced your creative process and the way you approach photography and other media?

Initially, I started with landscape photography. I was always drawn to Ansel Adams’ work; however, I also loved elements of surrealism. Unfortunately, due to my brain injury, working with photography, apps, and general editing results in an increase in my symptoms of brain injury including pain, migraines, and fatigue. Thus, these works are hugely important because of what they represent, but also because I may not complete many more.

What does the Fraser River mean to you personally, and how does it inspire your artwork?

The Fraser River begins in the northern part of the province of “British Columbia” and empties into the Pacific Ocean in Vancouver. To see the river carve its way through St’at’imc Territory is spectacular! The river once provided Indigenous peoples with an abundance of salmon but, due to various environmental degradations, is virtually void of sustenance.

Dana Hangle, MMIWG2S

Your work reflects a deep connection with the St’át’imc Peoples and their land. How have your relationships with the Indigenous community shaped your art?

I am a white settler, an uninvited person on Indigenous land.  Living here has given me a tremendous understanding of my privilege and position in “Canada”. The pieces in Visual Art Journal represent many aspects of my relationships with the land and people. It means a lot to me to have these pieces in print as I am not interested in, out of respect for the St’at’imc People, selling or profiting in any way from the images in the journal.

The use of symbols like the television and the planet in “Fraser River Viewing” is striking. Could you elaborate on their significance and how they tie into your message?

There are several layers to “Fraser River Viewing”. First, the Fraser River itself is not in the work, only the shore which demonstrates our inability to face environmental issues. Thus, the television is two-fold; it represents pollution and garbage in and on the Fraser River, but it also represents our attention being diverted from overwhelming issues. By no means do my statements diminish the hard work of Indigenous people, grass roots organizations and local clean-up committees who bring attention to the plight of the Fraser River.  The planet represents colonialism. The planet, in my mind’s eye, dropped missionaries and government officials from Britain and France to commit genocide and seize land and resources. Settlers are the aliens from this planet who committed unspeakable crimes.

What role does the app, Dada, play in your creative process, and why do you prefer it over traditional photography techniques?

For me, as a disabled person, finances are quite tight. The Dada app is not only free, but the graphics are comprehensive: colourful, imaginative, and plentiful. The Dada app is also easy to use. I also use Snapseed, Prisma, and other free applications.

How do you see art as a means to pay homage and foster understanding about the history and culture of the land you live on?

I really wanted to use art as a way to honour the people and the land. However, this art can be very triggering for Indigenous peoples, so I have not placed “Fraser River Viewing” and “MMIWG2S” in our local gallery. As well, I don’t want to be seen as a “performative ally”. Therefore, no one really knows about the two aforementioned pieces. I gifted a different piece of art (not seen here) to a local, Indigenous family who lost their daughter under mysterious circumstances. I did that very privately as well. I don’t feel everyone needs to know about certain creations for them to hold value; through the Visual Art Journal, my art will be revealed slowly and in the right time. It has taken me many years, but I feel I am learning to demonstrate reverence toward St’at’imc people in appropriate ways.

Dana Hangle, Fraser River Viewing, 2022